TRU student Grace Clemont said receiving the Dr. Joan Sherman Weir Memorial Scholarship was life changing. Hers is just one of many stories featured in the 2022-23 Report on Philanthropy, showcasing the impact of charitable giving to TRU. Last year, $2.133 million in donor funding was distributed for student support alone — including scholarships like the one Clemont received.
“In all honesty, I am still in quite a bit of shock,” she said. “This is seriously life changing for me. I work as much as I possibly can while attending university, and spend my summers doing double, just to afford to go. Words cannot express my thanks enough.”
More highlights from the 2022-23 Report on Philanthropy include a plan to increase the number of Indigenous lawyers, an innovative piping lab that went from sketch to reality and a Cariboo family with a farm and a dream.
Funds are given to TRU by benefactors that include individuals, corporations and foundations to enhance and advance post-secondary education. They give through events like Day of Giving, Fund-a-Need at the TRU Foundation Gala or through direct campaigns like the TRU World Relief Fund. In some cases, benefactors are able to give large amounts, such as $500,000 donated by the Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund earlier this year (read more in the Report on Philanthropy).
When donors choose to establish an endowment to create a long term, sustainable funding source for an award or initiative, their funds are stewarded by the TRU Foundation. Today, the TRU Foundation manages $31.95 million in endowed funds.
“The start of a new academic year brings the hard work of students and faculty to the forefront again. People who give to TRU see this hard work, they see the impressive accomplishments within this community, and they want to help,” said Kim Cassar Torreggiani, associate vice-president advancement and CEO of the TRU Foundation.
“We are grateful for every donor who chooses to charitably support education and make a difference by investing in the future.”
The Report on Philanthropy is published by the Office of Advancement at TRU, located in the Clock Tower Building at TRU’s Kamloops campus. General inquiries are welcomed by phone at 250-828-5264, email at foundation@tru.ca and online at tru.ca/giving.
Last year’s 2021-22 Report on Philanthropy earned a silver medal for Best Report to Donors from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), an organization that promotes excellence in educational advancement.
